Christian Ek, Lapland Hunting & Game, Dorotea:

“Lapland is a region of endless possibilities”

Dorotea, marketed as the southern gateway to Lapland, is a “five-minute community” where everything is within easy reach. That was exactly what drew Christian Ek here in the early ’90s. For many years now, he has been living his dream as a hunting and fishing guide with many loyal, returning customers.

Christian Ek is originally from Korsholm, a town near Vaasa in Finnish Ostrobothnia. While training to become a game warden back in Finland, he completed his internship in several stints at a hunting and fishing camp in Dorotea. He enjoyed it so much there that he decided to stay in 1997. He quickly landed a summer job as a track laborer on the Inland Railway, and during hunting season, he worked as a hired hunting and fishing guide. For several years, he alternated between various summer jobs and guiding work before starting his first hunting and fishing business in 2007. Since then, Christian has been able to make a living from his own business—a move he doesn’t regret.

The company Lappland Hunting & Game offers accommodation packages that primarily include guided small-game hunting and fishing. Its customers are mainly corporate groups and groups of friends, and they come almost exclusively from Scandinavia. With many repeat customers, the company hardly needs to market itself and faces the “luxury problem” of demand exceeding capacity.

“The only downside to turning my hobby into a job is that I don’t have much time for hunting myself. But I get so much out of offering this to others that it’s not a problem,” says Christian.

People have time to talk

With a population of about 2,300, Dorotea is one of Sweden’s smallest municipalities—a title it usually shares with Bjurholm. It was the sense of community and tranquility that drew Christian to this small town far from the big city. In Korsholm, near the city of Vaasa, he felt the stress and pressure that often come with life in a larger city—something that just wasn’t his thing. 

“I got tired of the stress. When my friends started building houses and felt they had to meet a certain standard, I felt, on the contrary, that it didn’t have to be that complicated—I could be content with much less.”

Christian noticed that his stress melted away when he arrived in Dorotea. Here, people talked to one another and socialized across generations.

–In Dorotea, I noticed that people had time to stop and talk. I was impressed by this small community where people helped one another and everyone talked to everyone else. If my car broke down, I was used to having to schedule a service appointment two weeks in advance. Here, I got help right away. 

No lines at the grocery store

In addition to being close to nature and the opportunity to work in a field related to their greatest interests, they were drawn to the idea of being within walking distance of all amenities from the parking lot in the city center.

“There are never any lines here. If there are more than three customers in line at the ICA checkout, they open a second register,” notes Christian, who, during his first few years as a seasonal hunting and fishing guide during the summer, held various jobs—ranging from construction to forest inventories and municipal work. He and his then-wife also ran the Sport & Fritid store in Dorotea for 12 years, and together they had two sons, who are now adults. Dorotea has been a peaceful and safe place to raise a family. The local community and the school are wonderful and personal. These are things one now appreciates given the turbulent state of the world, says Christian, who currently lives apart from his partner in Finland—an arrangement that works well for both of them.

In his free time, Christian is active in the Företagarna association, where he has just completed his second year as chairman. Currently, the association is placing a special emphasis on building relationships with various supporting organizations, including the municipality. Advocacy work is also a high priority in order to create a favorable business climate.

“There are jobs in Dorotea if you want to work; we have many successful companies. Take Polar, for example—it’s one of the largest employers and has been manufacturing its recreational vehicles here for many years.”

Collaboration and Commitment

If you want to start your own business, Christian usually advises working for a few years first to get to know the industry.

“It has helped me immensely. I learned a great deal during my years as an employee. At the same time, it depends on the industry—if you’re committed, you can create anything,” says Christian, citing the example of Truxor, a reed cutter invented right here in Dorotea and now used throughout Europe to cut reeds along beaches and in wetlands.

One example of how people help each other in Dorotea is his collaboration with other businesses. He primarily works with Doro Camp Lapland to provide lodging and meals for guests, but he also enlists the help of other guides for larger group bookings. Christian leases the land on which he has hunting rights from the forestry company SCA.

In addition to business matters, he is very involved in the Dorotea community at large.

–Dorotea is very dear to my heart, and I want us to be able to continue living the way we do. One way to do this is to influence the business community through Företagarna. A strong business community creates jobs, which makes us attractive to young people and others who might want to move here.

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Text: Monica Wiksten Gideonsson
Photo: www.ricke.se